Irish Tontines Annuitants 1766-1789

Search for your Irish ancestor in over 153,000 annuity statements, accounts of deaths, death certificates, and marriage certificates relating to the subscribers and nominees of the Irish Tontine. Popular in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, a tontine was an investment plan designed for the raising of capital. Named after the Neapolitan banker Lorenzo de Tonti, who allegedly invented the tontine in France in 1653, subscribers would pay an agreed sum into the fund and thereafter receive an annuity from it. Upon a member's death, their shares would devolve to the other participants whose annuities would then rise in value. The scheme would be wound up when the last member died.

The records in this collection have been released in association with the National Archives and cover the English tontine of 1789; the Irish tontines of 1773, 1775, and 1777; and the life annuities of 1766 to 1779. The records consist of both transcripts and images of original documents and the amount of information listed will vary depending on the source. Images may include additional information such as annuity amounts, nominee or subscriber status, and class. Participants were divided into different classes by age. Those over the age of forty were placed into the first class, those aged between twenty and forty were placed into the second class, and the third class consisted of those below the age of twenty.

Ireland, American Fenian Brotherhood 1864-1897

Search for your ancestor's name in over 125,000 records taken from correspondence between members of the British Foreign Office regarding the activities of the American Fenian Brotherhood during the years from 1864 to 1897. Records include newspaper cuttings, letters, telegrams, lists of prisoners, and a number of photographs.

The American Fenian Brotherhood was founded in 1858 by Irish exiles John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny. Tracing its origins back to the Society of United Irishmen and born out of the social turmoil resulting from the famine of the 1840s, the American Fenian Brotherhood was a precursor for Clan na Gael and its members were known as Fenians. The collection includes accounts of the Brotherhood's incursions into Canadian territory during the years 1866 to 1871. In 1866, John O'Mahony and 700 Fenians attacked Campobello Island, New Brunswick. This was the first of what would become known as the 'Fenian Raids.' Civil War veteran John O'Neill led the last raid in 1871 and was arrested by United States authorities for violating neutrality laws. This militant approach led to a split within the Brotherhood and its eventual decline.

Ireland, American Fenian Brotherhood 1864-1897 Browse

Browse through over 15,000 volumes of British Foreign Office papers on the activity of members of the Fenian Brotherhood. Taken from the FO5 collection held at The National Archives in Kew, these records chart the American Fenian Brotherhood's efforts to liberate Ireland from British rule during the mid- to late Victorian era.

Taken from the FO5 collection held at The National Archives in Kew, these records chart the American Fenian Brotherhood's efforts to liberate Ireland from British rule during the mid- to late Victorian era.

Church Of Ireland Histories & Reference Guides

Search over 800 records from two publications; 'The National Churches: The Church of Ireland' and 'Some Worthies of the Irish Church' to learn more about the history of the Church of Ireland. Both titles are presented as portable document formats (PDFs)

'The National Churches: The Church of Ireland', published in 1892, was written by Thomas Olden MA, a member of the Royal Irish Academy and the Vicar of Ballyclough. It begins in Pre-Christian Ireland and continues through to the Act of Disestablishment in 1869. 'Some Worthies of the Irish Church published in 1900' is a collection of lectures delivered in the Divinity School of the University of Dublin by the late George Thomas Stokes, DD. Stokes was an Irish ecclesiastical historian.

Armagh Records & Registers

Browse through 600 pages of the 'Historical Memoirs of the City of Armagh' to learn more about the history of Northern Ireland.

This authoritative text was first published in 1819 with the full title of 'Historical Memoirs of the City of Armagh for a Period of 1,373 Years Comprising a Considerable Portion of the General History of Ireland; A Refutation of the Opinions of Dr. Ledwich, Respecting the Non-Existence of St. Patrick; And an Appendix, on the Learning, Antiquities and Religion of the Irish Nation'. It contains biographical accounts of both Protestant and Roman Catholic archbishops, a narrative of important events, an account of the establishment of the Presbyterian congregations and the history of various customs and manners.

Antrim Histories & Reference Guides

Search over 600 records taken from George Benn's 'A History of the Town of Belfast from the Earlier Times to the Close of the Eighteenth Century'.

The title was published in 1877 and is an authoritative work on the history of Belfast. It contains historic maps and illustrations as well as a chapter on noted inhabitants mentioned in seventeenth century records including names such as Captain George Theaker, Arthur Chichester, Hugh Doak, Thoams Waring, George McCartney, and more.

The records span from the 1600s up to 1800 and will allow you to uncover a variety of details about your ancestor and life in historic Dublin.

Ireland, Royal Irish Constabulary History & Directories

Additional records have also been added to our collection of Royal Irish Constabulary History & Directories. Released in association with the National Archives, the collection contains an assortment of pay records, lists, directories, commendation records, treasury books, Constabulary Code books and training manuals.

According to The Royal Irish Constabulary Manual to the Discharge of Police Duties, the force was responsible for 'the prevention and detection of crime, the security of life and property, and the preservation of the public peace and good order'.